On the same day with Murat Gassiev, his former opponent Alexander Usik also had his next fight.

As part of his second heavyweight fight, the Ukrainian fought with former world title challenger Derek Chisora.

The duel took place at Wembley Stadium in London, but fans were not allowed into the stands due to the spread of the coronavirus.

Unlike Gassiev, Usik did not have to prepare for different opponents.

However, the fight with Chisora ​​also had a number of obstacles in the way.

It was originally supposed to take place in February, but was postponed four times.

For a long time, the reason for this was the imperfect state of health of the Ukrainian, and then the pandemic became the reason for the postponement.

Nevertheless, the opponents did not refuse to meet with each other and decided to hold it on October 31st.

Already during the official weigh-in procedure, it became clear that the fight was going to be extremely tense and emotional.

Despite the status of an underdog, Chisora ​​did not even think to surrender to the mercy of the winner and was ready to use all possible means to put pressure on the enemy.

So, Derek decided to celebrate the upcoming Halloween in his own way and appeared at the weigh-in procedure in an image vaguely reminiscent of the Joker comic book hero.

Among other things, the fighter wrote his own nickname ("War") on his chest and thereby made it clear that he intends to arrange a real fight in the ring.

It is worth recalling that Chisore is not the first time to act as the instigator of conflicts on the eve of fights.

In 2012, the Briton slapped the then world champion Vitali Klitschko, provoking a scuffle during a duel of views, and before the fight itself spat in the face of his brother Vladimir.

This time Chisora ​​acted less aggressively, although he continued to try to "get into Usyk's head".

For several minutes, he uttered something to his opponent, but he seemed extremely calm and collected.

Neither the loud statements of the British nor the serious difference in mass could shake the Ukrainian self-confidence.

Alexander's weight was 98.4 kg, and Derek was more than 17 kg heavier (115.6).

It was logical to expect that in battle Chisora ​​would try to take advantage of her power advantage and knock Usyk out in the first rounds.

The Briton immediately went ahead and began to impose his own rhythm of battle on the Ukrainian.

In the opening, he regularly delivered powerful blows to the goal and pinched the opponent in the clinch, which was facilitated not only by the referee loyal to such actions, but also by not the largest ring.

As Nikolai Valuev, who was commenting on the fight, noted that he was clearly non-standard in size, which should have helped Derek to level the difference in speed.

The first two rounds went in a similar vein.

Usyk tried to find the distance, but very often found himself with his back to the ropes and allowed Chisora ​​not only to attack with sweeping overhands, but also to "knit" himself in a clinch.

At some points, the fight was more like a fight than a boxing, but it was only in the hands of the British.

The first dangerous response of the Ukrainian was recorded only in the sixth minute of the fight.

Alexander defended himself well, after which he struck an exact left straight line in the chin.

Starting from the third round, the duel began to become more and more equal.

Despite the difficulties, Usyk got used to the ring and began to respond more and more to attacks in his direction.

The Ukrainian boxer remembered the blows to the body and began to work alternately on both "floors", more and more confusing the opponent.

At the same time, Chisora ​​slowed down a little, and fatigue began to be felt in his actions.

If the third segment of the battle could be called equal, then during the next three Usyk's advantage became more and more obvious.

Impressive footwork allowed him to get away from strong, but not the most lightning swings of Chisora, and then immediately unleash a flurry of punches on him.

In the fourth three minutes, Alexander for the first time firmly occupied the center of the ring and began to work as the first number, betting on branded combinations.

Even though he often sacrificed strength, he took on precision and quantity.

At this moment, it might seem that Chisora ​​has completely lost the initiative and will no longer be able to impose a struggle, but everything turned out differently.

He came to his senses and over the next 12 minutes fought on equal terms with the Ukrainian, taking two rounds out of four.

Although Derek switched to economy mode, in the endings he certainly added to the activity and used all the opportunities to harm the enemy.

The sixth and ninth rounds were especially successful for him, while Alexander was much more convincing in the seventh and eighth.

Nevertheless, it was Usyk who was closer to getting the first knockdown in this duel.

In the last seconds of the seventh round, Chisora ​​went ahead and ran into a sharp counterattack performed by the opponent.

The right hook hit the jaw and made Derek stagger.

This was a big surprise, because Alexander is criticized precisely for the lack of a powerful blow and knockout power.

The final three rounds turned out to be no less competitive.

In the tenth, Chisora ​​looked noticeably more active and again began to break through to close range over and over again.

The tendril tried to go sideways and stay at arm's length, but regularly failed.

In addition, Alexander began to increasingly find himself with his back to the ropes, which allowed his opponent to deliver heavy blows (even if most of them were in the block).

At the key moment of the duel, Usyk nevertheless gathered his strength and took the last two rounds.

Chisora ​​tried to clinch and did not hesitate to hit below the belt, but even this did not help him to seize the initiative.

Alexander still perfectly moved around the ring and over and over again found a gap in the defense of the tired Derek.

At the end of 12 rounds, all three judges gave preference to the Ukrainian and allowed him to win the 18th victory in his professional career.

Thus, Usyk not only remained an undefeated boxer and won the second heavyweight fight, but also won the title of a mandatory contender for the WBO world champion title.

This happened in front of the current belt holder Anthony Joshua, who was watching the Ukrainian performance from the audience.

At the same time, after the fight, the Ukrainian admitted that he was not very pleased with his performance and rated it three points, but noted that he intends to progress.

He did not answer the question about a possible meeting with Joshua, but expressed a desire to repeat the achievement in the first heavyweight - to become the absolute world champion in the heavyweight category.